Dear Church Family,

I hope this letter finds you all in good health and high spirits.
It is with a mixture of sorrow and gratitude that I write to you today. Recently, my family suffered a tragic loss. My cousin, Odinaka, was cruelly taken from us through senseless violence in Nigeria. His sudden and heartbreaking departure left us all reeling and, admittedly, struggling to meet the financial burdens of the unexpected funeral costs.

In such a challenging time, I am deeply moved and humbled by the remarkable display of generosity, compassion, and unity this church community has demonstrated.

In the backyard of the house where I live with other priests, there is a lemon tree which produces a huge amount of fruit. One evening in the spring I needed some lemons for a chicken dish. I glanced from the kitchen and saw the tree bursting with large, bright, gorgeous lemons, hanging thick on seemingly every branch. Turning to Fr. Bob (I’ll change his name to protect the innocent) who sat on the couch, I said, “Father, could you pick a few lemons for me?” He said sure and into the backyard he went. He returned a few minutes later empty-handed. “John, there’s no lemons. Sorry.” I said, “What are you talking about?” I looked again and saw the grapefruit tree on the other side of the yard, which had recently been picked clean of fruit. He didn’t see the abundant fruit because he was looking in the wrong place!

God our Father, we give you thanks and praise for fathers young and old. We pray for young fathers, newly embracing their vocation; may they find courage and perseverance to balance work, family and faith in joy and sacrifice. We pray for fathers around the world whose children are lost or suffering; may they know that the God of compassion walks with them in their sorrow. We pray for men who are not fathers but still mentor and guide us with fatherly love and advice. We remember fathers, grandfathers and greatgrandfathers who are no longer with us but who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love. Amen.

“These two Sacraments were born together,” wrote St. John Paul II of the priesthood and the Eucharist, “and their destiny is indissolubly linked until the end of the world.”

The Eucharist is such a beautiful example of how God, conscious of our limitations, bends to meet us. He once came to us cloaked in the flesh, that we might recognize Him. Now He comes as the very means by which we nourish ourselves: food and drink, the most familiar and comforting thing in the world to us. How easy He makes it to fulfill his command that we become one with Him. How generous He is to make such a sacred thing also accessible.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Please join us on Sunday, June 11, for our annual Corpus Christi Mass and Procession, a vibrant celebration of our faith, community, and shared devotion to our Lord.

The Mass begins at 10 am at St. Francis Church, promptly followed by a grand procession to Coe Park. There, we will commemorate the conclusion with a moving Benediction. We extend this invitation to everyone— every age, every background, every tongue—to join us in this time-honored tradition.

As we take our faith to the streets, we reaffirm our love for Christ and our unity as His children. Corpus Christi is a powerful testament to our community's spiritual strength and commitment. It is a beautiful opportunity to share our faith publicly, fostering connections with each other and the wider community, and it is a testament to our calling as disciples of Christ.